Tamers of the Colossi
by UltimatePalmTree
Summary: [Possible AU][PreGame] Before Wander, there were sixteen others who came and went to the Cursed and Forbidden Lands. Not to kill them, mind you, but to tame the beasts.
1. The Dragon, The Phoenix and the Luster

**Title:** Tamers of the Colossi

**Song:** _The Mystic's Dream_, by Loreena McKennitt

**Author: **UltimatePalmTree

**Pairing: **_Possible _OC/OC. Don't know yet for sure.

**Fandom:** Shadow of the Colossus

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Fantasy

**Warnings:** Violence, death/dying/killing, possible torture, but nothing graphic.

**Distribution:** No. Nothing. You _cannot_ distribute it without my say-so. I'm sorry, but I like to know where my crap ends up.

**Summary:** Possible AUPre-Game Before Wander, there were sixteen others who came and went to the Cursed and Forbidden Lands. Not to kill them, mind you, but to tame the beasts.

**Authoress' Notes:** Most of the time, this will be centered on Phaedra, Hydrus and Avion's tamers (my three favorite Colossi _ever_). Inspired by playing the game for three hours straight and questioning who Dormin and the Colossi are. 'Nuff said, methinks. Most of the time, this will be centered on Phaedra, Hydrus and Avion's tamers (my three favorite Colossi _ever_). Don't own _Shadow of the Colossus_.

_**Chapter One**_

_The Sea Dragon, The Delta Phoenix, and The Destruction Luster_

The massive stone phoenix alighted on the top of the spiral staircase sticking out of the lake, its long flat club-tipped tail feet above the surface of the water. Its wings folded, but not all the way. The effect was somewhat creepy; it looked like a gigantic demented bat. Ice blue eyes scanned the surface of the water as a small human boy wrestled his way up to the Delta Phoenix's head and peered down with eyes of the same color.

Avis brushed his black bangs impatiently out of his eyes; he hadn't cut his bangs in a long time now. The rest of the dusty black hair was down to his middle back and covered in tangles and split ends. Such things came from not keeping check of your hygiene needs for over a year. Luckily, Avis had found some watering holes to bathe in every so often, so it wasn't as bad as it could've been. Lean and pallid, Avis looked like one of those people who are naturally thin. Probably was, too. The fact he was normally like this was accentuated by the fact he hadn't eaten much except for lizards, the occasional golden hawk, and near-invincible turtles for a year. The effect was a gaunt, nearly unhealthy look.

"Why can't he be ready when he says he will?" Avis asked, more to himself than anyone else. After all, there was no one to really talk to. As if answering, the phoenix moved its head forward slightly. "Thanks," Avis nods, in a way much like a falcon bobbing its head. It would be easier for him to see what was happening below the surface.

Over the course of the year Avis had spent with Avion, staying mostly to himself and high up in the mountains, he had noticed several changes. For one, his eyesight was better than it had ever been in his life. He had gained a good head for heights and had gained a better sense of direction. He was utilizing the first one to find out if who he was going to see was coming.

Finally, he saw something stir deep in the murky water. He grinned, showing two rows of slightly crooked teeth but were sharp nonetheless. Slowly rising towards the surface of the lake was a pair of the same icy blue eyes that Avis and Avion had. Following behind (yet still very dim) were three orange-red prongs, switching back and forth in a series of languid strokes. Avis crawled down onto Avion's back (a year of practice made it a facile feat) and down to Avion's flat club-tail. He waited for the creature to come close enough. The eyes appeared a few feet below the surface before the creature broke it.

A massive, broad head covered with green-gray lichen on top appeared, glaring at him with the intense eyes before disappearing below the surface of the water. The rest of the long body surfaced, the three prongs crackling with electricity. The rest of the eel monster was also covered in the lichen on its head, and in between the head and the first prong sat a fair-haired boy, drenched with water and had three long slits running diagonally on the sides of his neck. Gills. Useless in air.

Avis dropped onto the eel's air-exposed back and he waited to be plunged into the freezing water. Instead, the eel stayed where it was, still stroking so it remained above the surface of the water.

The boy choked for a few minutes before finally plunging into the water. Almost simultaneously, the eel stopped, jerking Avis forwards and backwards all at once. Involuntarily, he grabbed for the spine which promptly shocked him, burning his hands. He fell onto the eel's lichen-covered back and hissed as the water met his burned hands.

"Sorry 'bout that," a voice said next to him. Avis turned, an expression of pain and rage twisting across his features. The fair-haired boy was now covered in a fresh sheen of water, and his head was the only thing visible above the surface of the water. His hair was blonde, and in waves down to his mid-back. His face was like that of a Rottweiler's: broad, expressive, easy to read. His eyes were half-lidded in languid happiness as he treaded water.

"You _know_ I hate it when you do that," Avis said angrily.

"You know _I _hate it when _I _can't breathe! Stupid air-breathers," Marinus said, an arrogant smirk on his face. He folded his arms over his broad, barrel chest and used his legs to tread the water.

"_You_ were once an air-breather," reasoned Avis, getting up and minding the fish's electric spine this time. "Have some consideration,"

Marinus laughed, "After spending a year underwater, it _does_ things to you, Avis. Like, you forget how to breathe air, and you remember if you try, you'll die."

"Right. That's how the spell altered you, wasn't it?"

Marinus nodded. "I started out being an air breather, staying on that spiral staircase most of the time," Marinus gestured to Avion, who was glaring down in curiosity. "Until one morning I woke up and choked practically to death. Until I accidentally fell into the water, I didn't know what the heck was happening to me. Any way, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Avis paused, trying to phrase it in a way both he and Marinus would understand. It wasn't that Marinus was slow; nothing like that. Truth be told, Marinus was a bit _too_ smart for his own good. It's just that, because of this, Marinus had a different viewpoint on things. Like the fact they were arguing over whether Avion was really a bird or a bat.

"Alright. Here's what's happening," Avis finally said, exhaling and shutting his eyes.

"I'm listening," came Marinus' reply.

"_Everything_, and I mean _everything_, is changing," Avis said.

"What do you mean by that?" Marinus asked, cocking his head to one side, exposing a bit of his right gills, causing him to shudder and quickly dive under for a moment again. When he surfaced, his first comment was, "I _hate_ air,"

"And you've made that _quite_ clear with me. But by the previous statement, I don't mean just your ability to breathe under the water or my ability to see great distances. I mean, personality wise. You remember the twins, right? Ignis and Candor?" It didn't take long for Marinus to nod his head vigorously. "Have you seen them lately?"

Marinus cocked his head again, a bit more carefully than last time so he didn't expose much of his gill. "Well, if lately means by last winter, then yes, I have,"

"No, I mean sometime recent. Like this summer?" Avis asked, prompting for more from the tamer of the Sea Dragon Hydrus with a small hand gesture. Marinus thought again, slowly swimming away from Avis and twisting around in the water.

"No," Marinus finally said.

"Right. And usually, they'd be on their Colossi, trying to beat the crap out of everyone else and each other!" _Don't _I _know the feeling…_ he thought bitterly, massaging the side of his head where the massive tiger paw had connected. Surprisingly, he hadn't suffered much except for a headache and a slight concussion. "And now, they're nowhere to be found,"

"Something's wrong, then," Marinus said, not failing in Avis' expectations for an immediate or near-immediate reaction, "That's what you're basically saying," Avis nodded, his 'all-knowing grin' on his face. "You _are_ going to check them out?"

Avis nodded. "I figure if they're not tearing across the desert, something's definitely wrong with them,"

"Sound logic," Marinus said. "Tell me if anything's wrong when you get back,"

"_If_ I get back," Avis corrected.

"You _always_ do," Marinus reasoned. "I wish you luck, Avis," Marinus nodded solemnly before disappearing below the surface. Without warning, the massive eel lunged downwards after its master and dragged Avis under as well. Avis' eyes bulged as he felt the shock of the cold water and struggled to the surface. Being the tamer of the only avian colossus, he wasn't a very strong swimmer. He struggled as he tread water and tried to face his colossus, which glared back down at him.

"Well, don't just _sit_ there, idiot! Get me out of here!" Avis yelled. On a simple command, the massive stone bird took to the air and circled once, twice, and thrice before swooping low to try and get Avis out of the water. The tamer ducked from the long talons that would definitely gore him and instead, grasped the fur on the club-tip of the phoenix's long tail. As the massive bird flew over the expansive, barren landscape, Avis managed to pull himself up to Avion's head and survey the land.

* * *

"Hey, Candor? You in here?" Avis asked. Avion had alighted on the ground nearby, watching Avis slightly nervously. The cave was the _last_ place he'd expect Candor to be. Then again, everyone had been going through changes in the last year. "Candor?" Avis ventured forwards, holding up a hand towards Avion so the bird wouldn't follow. "Candor, are you in there?"

"Yeah," a voice said. Avis looked around, watching for any signs of movements. The Destruction Luster, Cenobia, was one of the two fast Colossi (the other was his twin brother, Ignis), and Cenobia would strike out before anyone knew what the heck was happening.

"Show me where you are,"

There was a sigh, but he answered, "As you wish," in a bored tone. Suddenly, there was a loud screech as a massive stone lion charged out at Avis. On top of its massive head, in the midst of the prongs of its stone mane, was another boy: fair-haired and _much_ shorter than Avis or Marinus. The lion leapt over Avis' head and skidded to a halt, knocking into a pillar in the center of the room. It cracked even more; Avis figured out how it had gotten so crumbly in the first place.

Cenobia stood in front of him, in all its odd glory, and the boy glared down at him. Avis didn't have to guess what kind of eyes they had; all tamers had icy blue that flashed red when they were angry or hurt. "Can you come down here? I wish to speak with you," Avis said. The boy sighed, but obliged, crawling down the side of the lion's mane.

Avis studied the boy's face; it was paler than his and Marinus'. His neck was lined with dark grey scars; something Avis thought was very odd. His hair was darker at the edges, on the verge of turning black. "Yes?" Candor asked.

"I was just wondering if you were alright,"

"I'm fine, thanks,"

Avis eyed him one more time. "You don't _look_ it. You stand like you've got rickets or something…"

"What're you, my mother? And maybe I _do_ have rickets," Candor said simply. "So, if you value your life at_ all_, you'll leave. Right _now_," His hands clenched into shaky fists, and he bared his teeth in an angry snarl.

"I was just concerned…" Avis said, hands in a 'calm down' sort of gesture.

Candor raised his hand, too. He pointed at Avis, in an 'attack' sort of gesture.

Cenobia screeched and roared as he leapt over his master's head to face Avis.


	2. The Lion and the Horse

**Title:** Tamers of the Colossus

**Song:** _The Mystic's Dream_, by Loreena McKennitt

**Author: **UltimatePalmTree

**Pairing: **_Possible _OC/OC. Don't know yet for sure.

**Fandom:** Shadow of the Colossus

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Fantasy

**Warnings:** Violence, death/dying/killing, possible torture, but nothing graphic.

**Distribution:** No. Nothing. You _cannot_ distribute it without my say-so. I'm sorry, but I like to know where my crap ends up.

**Summary:** Possible AUPre-Game Before Wander, there were sixteen others who came and went to the Cursed and Forbidden Lands. Not to kill them, mind you, but to tame the beasts.

**Authoress' Notes:** Most of the time, this will be centered on Phaedra, Hydrus and Avion's tamers (my three favorite Colossi _ever_). Inspired by playing the game for three hours straight and questioning who Dormin and the Colossi are. 'Nuff said, methinks. Most of the time, this will be centered on Phaedra, Hydrus and Avion's tamers (my three favorite Colossi _ever_). Don't own _Shadow of the Colossus_.

_**Chapter Two**_

_The Lion and the Horse_

Avis coughed as dust was kicked up by the massive lion's back paws. He had rolled out of the way just in time and was lying off to the side. "You idiot!" Candor yelled. "He's over here!" The lion turned its head, ice blue eyes practically glowing in excitement. Avis' eyes widened as the lion rounded on him, a long screech piercing the air. Avis screamed and stumbled forwards in a futile effort to escape the lion's attack. Suddenly, the ground seemed to give out from under him as Cenobia took a swipe at him with its paw. He could feel his ribs cracking, bruises were probably already forming. The fact he was suddenly stopped by crashing into one of the many columns around the area made the whole thing worse.

Barely conscious, Avis shook his head, breathing heavily and looking blearily up at the lion's face. The face was pulled into a maniacal grin; it'd be like this forever. What was carved in stone by magic and the power of the gods was carved into it for eternity. From between Cenobia's legs came Candor, glaring down at him with the same ice blue eyes as the others. Something was _different_, however. Candor's glare was colder than even the tamer of the Grand Gigas'. "Before I kill you, do you have any last words?" he hissed venomously.

Avis nodded.

"Say them," Candor growled, lip curling into a snarl.

Avis took a deep breath to stay the nausea and said, "Damn you to hell, Candor. You _and_ Cenobia!"

Candor howled in rage as he delivered a sharp kick to Avis' side, sending a jolt of pain through the avian colossus tamer's body. He inhaled sharply, and choking in the process as he threw up the remains of the lizard he had eaten before seeing Marinus. "Good. _Right_ where I want you!" Candor stepped backwards, allowing Cenobia to step forwards. "Crush him!" he yelled.

The gigantic lion's paw came down, but not onto Avis. Instead, it had come down onto a needle-like foreleg, shielding Avis from the blow. Avis looked at Candor, briefly making out his shocked expression. "Bellator?" he asked in disbelief.

What a colossus' tamer expressed, so did the colossus itself. The confusion of Candor had gone into Cenobia's, for it caught him off-guard for the next attack. The foreleg lifted the lion upwards and backwards, easily flipping it over onto its back. There was another unearthly screech as the creature fell down hard and created an enormous crater in the ground.

What happened next was unknown. Avis finally blacked out.

* * *

_It was right in front of him. The massive statue of a bird, the one mimicking the idol in the temple, was actually _here_. He was impressed; he didn't think he'd find it. But here it was._

_The young boy dropped to his knees, hands clasped together, muttering a prayer in another language. Something from his mother country… A life before this one's beginning. He finished the prayer and looked at his impossible challenge: to bring this mass of stone to life. "Gods almighty, how do I _do_ this?" he asked himself, still kneeling._

Follow thy instincts, Avis…_ Dormin. The… well, for lack of a better word, _god_ at the main temple on the plains._

_The boy looked up to the sky in surprise. This was the first time a god had answered him. "How do you suggest I do that? And my name isn't Avis; it's Muragh,"_

It shall be thy name soon enough. Follow thy instincts and say the first thing that comes to thee.

_Muragh nodded vigorously and ordered everything to calm down inside his mind. The whirling excitement of a god answering his prayers… Wait'll he tell everyone else back at the village! He'd be renowned as a prophet, a savior, maybe even a martyr! Wait, calm down… Hold on…_

_Finally, Muragh stood up, raised his hands. A pair of long bracelets wove their way down to his elbows, criss-crossing and making 'x'-shaped crosses over his arm and hand. The one on his right was a dark navy blue and the other was the color of fresh blood. They were made out of small translucent strings, glass beads and the stiff reed grass that had inhabited their plains._

_In a language he didn't even _know_, Muragh yelled up at the gigantic bird, "The servant of Dormin commands that this Colossus come to life, to serve under Dormin in their rightful place! Arise, arise!" As soon as he finished, there was a loud cracking sound. Muragh shook his head; he _was_ seeing this! The stone surrounding the bird was cracking, falling down the side of the mountain and crashing down around him. The effect was almost scary, yet Muragh was rooted to the spot. It really _was_ a miracle!_

_But something was going wrong. A dull pain had started to throb in Muragh's chest, right near his heart. He shrugged this off as an annoyance and continued to watch as the bird freed itself from its stone prison, revealing living stone underneath. As the stone crumbled away from its face, revealing stunning pale blue circles serving as eyes, there was a sudden stabbing sensation in Muragh's head. As if someone had stuck two knives into his head, each at the exact point where his eyes were. He yelled as he covered his eyes._

_More of the 'dead' stone fell away from the bird. As it fell from its neck and chest, more invisible knives entered Muragh's system. The stone fell apart to reveal fur all along its back; Muragh felt hundreds of thousands of millions of the knives on his back. He bit his lip, trying hard not to scream in pain. This attempt, however, was ineffective._

_Finally, the massive bird spread its wings, sending jolts of pain through Muragh's arms. It flapped them, causing the joints connecting his arms and shoulders to become inflamed in pain. More screams escaped his lips as the colossus wrenched itself off the top of the mountain, trying out its wings. It flew as if it had done so before, gliding every so often and ignoring the boy's screams of pain below._

_At least for a little while. The bird landed heavily onto the ground, cocking its head in a slow but definite movement. It looked at Muragh with an intent glare as the boy retched and threw up more of the contents of its stomach._

Thy name is now Avis, and this is thy Colossus… Avion. The Delta Phoenix.

* * *

"Come on, Avis. Wake up," a voice said. It sounded distant, as if someone was trying to contact him from the top of a mountain. Avis cracked open one eye, to be greeted by a bright white light. _Did Cenobia and Candor really kill me? If so, why do I hurt so much…? I thought you wouldn't feel pain…_ "Good. You're alright. Stay _right_ here; I'm going to get some water," the voice said. The sound of retreating footsteps was all Avis heard before hearing nothing except for the occasional cry of the golden hawks that frequented the sky.

The footsteps came back quickly, and Avis felt the rim of something cold and rough pressed against his lips. "Open your mouth, Avis; I don't want to force you. Not in this condition…" Avis obeyed. Slowly, but surely, he opened his mouth and the other person forced the clay bottle in, tilting Avis forwards slightly so he wouldn't choke. The motion left the avian tamer reeling, but he appreciated the aid. Cold sweet water slid down his parched throat, a welcome interruption.

"That ought to take care of the dehydration you might be experiencing," the voice said. It was definitely male, but not yet deep with age. Avis opened his eyes and focused past the blinding light. A boy with curly brown hair, a fair complexion and the same eyes as his looked down at him in concern. "I patched your ribs this morning, and you seem to be doing alright. All things aside, of course,"

"Bellator?" Avis asked, voice cracking slightly from the lack of water.

"Yes," Bellator nodded, getting up carefully as he lay Avis back down on the soft grass. The dark-haired tamer knew this place; it was the valley below the Autumn Forest. There was a lake and a small island with a huge tree in the middle of it. Fruit hang temptingly on the branches of the trees.

"What happened to Candor? And Cenobia?"

"They're fine, but I don't give a damn about them," Bellator waved his hand vaguely in an 'I don't care' gesture. "Candor may've sustained minimal injuries at the least. Nothing like yours. Then again, he wasn't the one that got battered around by a psycho lion," Avis tilted his head backwards slightly to see a massive stone horse standing nearby. Phaedra, the so-called Equus Prime.

"Hey, Bellator?" Avis asked, turning his head back to the tamer.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Avion?"

Bellator pointed up towards the land bridge connecting the Autumn Forest to the Cave of Sands. Sure enough, Avion was there. _Good to know information…_ Avis nodded. "In another two days or so, you ought to be good to go,"

"Two days? Don't broken bones heal in a longer amount of time?"

"Usually. But remember this, Avis," Bellator turned away from the colossal horse, "we're no longer ordinary humans. Do you remember what Dormin said? We're technically gods now? Because we're a part of Dormin and his colossi?"

"Gods don't get their bones broken," Avis pointed out.

"Regeneration is generally faster because of the fact our Colossi cannot feel pain. It would be a different story, however, if we were to die and our spirits inherited the physical forms of our Colossi," Bellator continued. "So, just lay low until you can fight; if you try and fight now, you'll undoubtedly be killed,"

Avis nodded. "Alright. Fine," Avis finally shut his eyes and drifted off into another dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Well, I got my first two reviews yesterday! Allow me to dance around like Envy high off of Pepsi. Anyway, I would like to thank both Fireheartluvr and Lady Psychic for reviewing my story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and remember to leave a review! They're the whole reason this second chapter is up.


	3. The Sky Dragon, the Tortoise and the Sor

**Title:** Tamers of the Colossus

**Song:**_The Mystic's Dream_, by Loreena McKennitt

**Author: **UltimatePalmTree

**Pairing: **_Possible _OC/OC. Don't know yet for sure.

**Fandom:** Shadow of the Colossus

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Fantasy

**Warnings:** Violence, death/dying/killing, possible torture, but nothing graphic.

**Distribution:** No. Nothing. You _cannot_ distribute it without my say-so. I'm sorry, but I like to know where my crap ends up.

**Summary:** Possible AU Pre-Game Before Wander, there were sixteen others who came and went to the Cursed and Forbidden Lands. Not to kill them, mind you, but to tame the beasts.

**Authoress' Notes:** Most of the time, this will be centered on Phaedra, Hydrus and Avion's tamers (my three favorite Colossi _ever_). Inspired by playing the game for three hours straight and questioning who Dormin and the Colossi are. 'Nuff said, methinks. Most of the time, this will be centered on Phaedra, Hydrus and Avion's tamers (my three favorite Colossi _ever_). Don't own _Shadow of the Colossus_.

_**Chapter Three**_

_The Sky Dragon, the Tortoise and the Sorcerer_

The sky clouded over that night. Thunder rumbled off in the distance and flashes of lightning danced across the surface of the gray clouds. Down below, wind howled and buffeted the trees. It definitely looked like rain. An unconcerned lizard crawled over the bark of the tree, its silver tail shimmering even in the dim light of an evening storm.

_Thwack!_ An arrow sank into the bark of the tree, missing the lizard's flank by a few inches. It scampered up towards the fruit-laden branches and disappeared amidst the leaves. Clutching a bow and arrow, an teenager (in his late teen years) with short, slightly spiked black hair ran out from behind the massive boulder in which he had been hiding, stalking the lizard with the silver-scaled tail. He ran up to the tree and cursed when he saw it had failed to pin the lizard to the tree. He took the arrow out of the trunk, examined the arrowhead, shrugged, and restrung his bow with the same arrow. He aimed upwards at one of the tree's fruits and let the arrow fly. It sailed through the air and into the fruit, knocking the fruit off the tree branch.

"Looks like fruit tonight," he said, grabbing it and picking it off the ground. He examined it, shrugged and took the arrow out before taking a bite. It was sweet, yet tart. A perfectly ripe fruit. He turned around and sat down, watching a stone turtle plodding around in the distance. "Stupid thing; why didn't I get that bird thing?" he muttered angrily. He stood up, placed the half-eaten fruit in a small bag he had made out of lizard skins and took off across the plains.

Breathing hard through his nose and out through his mouth in short little gasps, he was fast for the tamer of the Storm Echo colossus Basaran. That is, if you could manage to get him up in the morning. If he finally decided to take a break from running around all day, hunting lizards, he wouldn't get back up until he damn well felt like it.

"Stupid turtle!" he yelled as soon as he had reached the massive creature. "Absolutely stupid creature," The turtle stopped to allow him to make his way onto its back; he did so with a bit of difficulty. He just wasn't as adept at climbing up his colossus as some of the others. Once he managed to situate himself on the top of the creature's head, he crossed his legs and pulled the fruit back out and began munching on it.

As the rain slowly began falling, a prickling sensation erupted on the back of his neck, causing his eyes to widen and he looked up to the sky. Soaring high above him was a thin tannish line, odd fin-like protrusions coming from its sides. _Great,_ he thought, _it's the show-off._ As if on cue, the line began to fall from the sky in a controlled descent. It finally leveled out a few feet next to Recanto's tortoise; a blonde-haired, seventeen-year-old female sitting on the tip of its pointed nose. She waved amiably as Recanto ordered Basaran to stop.

The second flying Colossus's 'fins' kept moving so as to keep it aloft. The fact it had a sac full of air helped, as well, using the same principle as a zeppelin. "It's a wonderful evening, isn't it?" she asked. Recanto nodded vaguely, unsure of what to say if she kept up the conversation. In truth, Velivolus was one of his better friends, but she tended to talk a bit _too_ much as well as show off.

"If you like the rain," Recanto said bitterly.

"It's alright," she shrugged. "I can tell you one thing, though; Harena hates it,"

"More than me? I doubt it,"

"Makes the sand wet," Velivolus said sardonically. "He can't _breathe_; which do you prefer: breathing or putting up with rain?" Recanto refused to answer.

"Having fun?" a voice said from down below. Almost at that exact moment, the sky seemed to rip open, drenching the land in a torrent of rain. It was almost impossible to see through, but they could both easily see a pair of icy blue glowing circles, glaring up at both of them from in front of them. They both instantly knew who it was: Grandis. The Sixteenth Tamer.

They knew what he looked like. He was rather imposing at six-foot-eight (he was only seventeen, too), and his shoulder length black hair was cut jaggedly, as if he had asked an alligator to chop it off for him. His eyes were slightly different from everyone else's; his literally _glowed_. It was, to put it nicely, _daunting_ to see those eyes in the dark, especially if they were right next to you. Even in the dim and rainy conditions, they could see his trademarks: sorcerer's bracelets. Criss-crossing over his palms and arms, they practically covered every inch of skin like monochromatic beaded arm warmers. His right forearm was covered in navy blue ones, while the left was covered in blood red. They were made out of thin, transparent strings, stiff reeds, and beads of the same colors as the dyed stalks.

"What're you doing here?" Recanto said. _Crap._ Think first, _then_ say it. He _always_ forgot to do that…

"I was just going to ask you the exact same question," Grandis said in a low growl-like tone. Recanto crawled back down Basaran's leg so as to face the Sixteenth Tamer. Again, he had the problem of doing things before he thought it through. He was gonna end up dead one of these days… "You know where your limits are," Grandis continued. "If you value your life, I suggest you _stay_ in them,"

"We never set out limits," Recanto said mildly, shrugging slightly. "We never said 'you have to stay here, and that's that'. I don't remember anything about that,"

"I suggest you _shut up_, as well," Grandis snarled. The uncomforting feeling of said tamer's breath on Recanto's skin made him positive Grandis was moving closer to him.

_That's a _very _short temper, you have, huh?_ Recanto thought blandly as he stepped backwards. "Get away from me," he said, raising his hands. The next action was both uncalled for and totally random. There was a _shhk_ as something shiny and silver was pulled out of a small sheathe on Grandis' belt and, two second later, Grandis thrust the blade into Recanto's forehead, the effect much like a unicorn's. The dagger didn't seem to go as far as the tamer wanted it to, but it would have to do. He held onto the hilt of it for a few seconds, watching as Recanto's eyes widened, and then shoved him backwards onto the rain-soaked ground.

"_In all the nine realms!_" yelled Velivolus, struggling to get off Phalanx's head. "You just _killed _him!" She yelled, and kept repeating this, examining Recanto, his face still in an expression of shock and pain.

"Your point?" Grandis growled, eyes narrowing. He turned away from her and said as he walked, "Well, that's how it is. If I want to gain more power, I need to make sacrifices. Some figuratively, and…" Grandis turned, and looked down at the twin trails of thick chocolate-black blood slowly trickling down Recanto's face. "Some _quite_ literally…" He smiled a grim smile.

"You _idiot!_" the girl continued, "Why did you have to _do_ that!"

"Again. Sacrifices." Grandis shrugged, and he began to walk away, leaving Velivolus with the body of Recanto.

"How stereotypical,"

The startled blonde looked down to see Recanto actually _getting up_, the dagger still _stuck_ in his forehead. He blinked the blood out of his eyes, and licked one of the two metallic-scented trails. "You're just gonna leave me for dead. Without taking the dagger out," Recanto laughed shortly, taking the dagger's hilt and pulling it out.

"How the _heck_ are you still alive!" Grandis howled in rage. "I _shoved_ that into your forehead, and yet you still live!"

"A tortoise has almost impeccable armor, especially one made out of stone… This is one of the benefits!" Recanto laughed. "I get the slow, stupid colossus, yet I get the best protection out of all of you. I say it kind of evens out in the end,"

Grandis didn't know what to say; he kept looking back and forth from Recanto to the dagger and vice-versa, making a slight hissing noise in his throat. Finally, he turned and (with one final glance back to Recanto) tore across the plains. The tortoise and the sky dragon tamers watched as he disappeared into the pouring rain. Somehow, they knew it wasn't going to end here. Grandis was not the type of person who just said 'screw you and the horse you rode in on' and took off. Probably five million other assassination attempts being planned in his head as they stood there.

"I'm gonna give him a _really_ good fight one of these days. And I'm gonna enjoy _every single freaking second of it_," hissed Recanto. He aimed the dagger at a lizard skittering across the plains in front of them, and threw it. The bloodied knife landed three feet away from it with a wet _thunk_, putting the period on his last statement.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

I just received four more reviews. I never expected _any_ reviews, let alone two additions to people's favorite's lists. So, this is where I shall reply to said reviews. In the mean time, I hope you enjoyed this (short) chapter of _Tamers_.

**Mr. Grae:** Wow, I got on your favorites list. I am _really_ in shock. And honored, don't get me wrong. I'm glad you're gonna be in the first seats to see the war between the Colossi, along with (hopefully) many more people. You got your wish in this chapter: you got to see the tamer for the second flying colossus. The sand dragon one ought to be in another chapter or two; I'm still figuring out his looks.

**Runemeister:** As a matter of fact, there _are_ female tamers! So far, there are only two of them (Quadratus—the second one, and Velivolus), but as I work on it and develop it, I'm sure there'll be more. Initially, Velivolus was going to be male, but I decided against it after asking a friend of mine.

**Todd B. James:** I'm quite happy you like the idea of my story. Yeah, the Colossi really _are_ bad news. At least, that's what I got from the game. I'm certain this fic is gonna keep moving, and I hope you'll be along for the ride. Also, thank you for adding me to your favorites list! I really am honored.

And, to everyone, thank you all for reading. Chapter four should be up soon, but I don't know when. Sometime by this weekend, I hope. Well, keep watching and have a good day!


	4. The Lizard, the Bull and the Knight

**Title:** Tamers of the Colossus

**Song:**_The Mystic's Dream_, by Loreena McKennitt

**Author: **UltimatePalmTree

**Pairing: **_Possible _OC/OC. Don't know yet for sure.

**Fandom:** Shadow of the Colossus

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Fantasy

**Warnings:** Violence, death/dying/killing, possible torture, but nothing graphic.

**Distribution:** No. Nothing. You _cannot_ distribute it without my say-so. I'm sorry, but I like to know where my crap ends up.

**Summary:** Possible AU Pre-Game Before Wander, there were sixteen others who came and went to the Cursed and Forbidden Lands. Not to kill them, mind you, but to tame the beasts.

**Authoress' Notes:** Most of the time, this will be centered on Phaedra, Hydrus and Avion's tamers (my three favorite Colossi _ever_). Inspired by playing the game for three hours straight and questioning who Dormin and the Colossi are. 'Nuff said, methinks. Most of the time, this will be centered on Phaedra, Hydrus and Avion's tamers (my three favorite Colossi _ever_). Don't own _Shadow of the Colossus_.

_**Chapter Four**_

_The Lizard, the Knight and the Bull_

_Thus is the normal day for many of these tamers. They fight, they eat, and they find new ways to survive. They've been doing this for a year now, as previously stated. However, the normal routine feeling would soon change. It began with Candor's actions against Avis and Grandis' actions against Recanto, and wouldn't stop for an extremely long time… Thus began the start of a war no one has ever heard of. A war between both human and colossi._

Recanto opened his eyes a slit before assessing everything was right with the world. He yawned, revealing unnaturally sharp teeth (especially for the tamer of the tortoise colossus) and propped himself up on his elbows. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and then stood up. Refreshed from last night's rain, the world shimmered in dew. Recanto went to check over himself in the pool of water in front of him. Surprisingly, the wound had already closed shut, the thick blood congealing. He touched the blood gingerly, wincing as his finger made contact with it. Other than that, everything looked absolutely fine. He felt alright, except for the hole in his head and the dull, throbbing headache that ensued.

He turned away from his reflection; the knife still stuck out of the ground. He shrugged and got up, plucked it out of the dirt, and went back to the pond to wash it off. As he slathered the water over the knife's bloodied blade, the same prickling feeling came back to the back of his neck. Without thinking, he turned around and flung the knife as hard as he possibly could.

The knife went sailing a few feet over the person's head. Upon further examination, Recanto saw it _wasn't_ the person he hoped he would've gotten. Standing behind him was a lean, unhealthily pale boy. His grey-white face was a shock under his black hair, and his eyes blazed with inhuman energy. If he was one of the tamers, he had no colossus following him. _Maybe it's a ways back…?_ Recanto thought, not taking his eyes from the boy's deadly serious expression. "Well?" he finally said, "What do you want?"

There was a moment of semi-awkward silence before Recanto wished he had better aim. Even if the target was right in front of him, he usually wasted about five or six arrows on it. Don't even get him _started_ on the golden hawks…

Suddenly, something wrapped around Recanto's wrist securely, like an octopus's tentacle. It felt neither cold nor hot, and it felt as if he had somehow managed to make his arm fall asleep. He looked down at his lower forearm, where a small, pale black tendril was curving around his middle finger, across his palm, and around his wrist. It disappeared up his shirt sleeve, but Recanto could definitely feel it slithering up his arm towards his ribcage. He jerked backwards with a yelp; upon further examination, there appeared to be no plausible reason for it even _being_ there.

_Except_…

Recanto dove for his bow and arrows, taking one out and stringing the bow as he fell. Naturally, the impact jarred his aim from doing anything, but he regained himself and attempted another shot at the intruder. The arrow whizzed through the air—_right_ on target for the first time. However, this feeling of joy wouldn't be felt for long; the intruder leapt into the air, grasping for a branch to hang on to. "The _one_ time it was on _target_ and _I miss it!_ DAMMIT!" yelled Recanto. In anger, he took another arrow from the lizard-skin sling and restrung it. Again, he fired a shot.

It would've missed any way, even if the boy hadn't leapt out of the tree and proceed to race away. Recanto wished he had one of the two small colossi as he tore after the boy, trying to restring his bow while tearing across the plains. He fired arrow after arrow, sometimes coming a little short of its target, sometimes sailing over the target's head. By the time he had run out of arrows, he had created a long line of them. Recanto stopped running once he figured out he had none, dropping to his knees and breathing deeply.

He looked back to the short line of arrows, each tipped with either a white dove's feather or a golden hawk's feather. Sighing, he got back up and plucked each one out of the ground, angrily muttering to himself. He retraced his steps back to where the knife rested, this time flat on the ground. "Stupid… All of them…" Recanto hissed, picking up the knife and proceeding to wash it again.

* * *

_A mere shadow of what he once was, just like his name. Umbra sat in the small grassy center of the coliseum, his massive black lizard colossus plastered to the wall. He stared at the grass in front of him, legs slightly apart and hands flat on the ground between them. His black hair twisted in the wind that blew from the opening in the ceiling of the coliseum. Wrapped around his one wrist was a small, blackish-violet vine of… what, exactly? The best way to describe it would be a shadow, but that was impossible. Shadows were just the opposite of light, an intangible object that one couldn't touch or control, especially getting it to wrap around anyone's wrists. The black vine cut a twisting grey scar through the boy's flesh, something he seemed to be unaware of._

_He also seemed to be unaware that three pairs of eyes were watching him from a great distance._

* * *

"You _can't_ be serious, Grandis," a blonde-haired girl stated. "That's not Umbra; I'd know Umbra if I saw him,"

Grandis shook his head and with a flick of his wrist, the crystalline ball dropped to the stone floor of the ruins. It shattered a few feet in front of the girl and her friend: a lean boy with a mass of chaotic black hair and a serious expression. "How typical of you, Magnus," Grandis sighed, turning away from the two companions. "You always try and take the past and masquerade it as the present and future,"

The boy's grip tightened on the hilt of the broad sword he held in his right hand. "Are you sure you're showing us what is true?" he growled.

Grandis turned around, genuinely surprised. "Veritas, you know that's beyond my abilities. To take something and represent it as truth when it is fiction. I only know basic magic,"

"Amplified by those bracelets," Veritas pointed out, gesturing slightly with his sword.

"Yes. That's true," Grandis agreed.

"Well, what do you recommend we do?" Magnus interjected.

"There's nothing we _can_ do," Grandis shrugged. "We've done all that was possible; I suspect Umbra will die in another few weeks or months,"

Magnus made an odd strangled whimper before saying, "Isn't there something we can do to help him?"

Grandis was _very_ obviously losing is temper. "_No_, and I'm not going to _repeat it_," he said through clenched teeth. Magnus knew she had to stop now; she shrunk backwards. Veritas, however, was not paying attention to her reaction.

"Are you sure?" Veritas asked. "Because you know how Magnus will feel if he dies. After all, she was one of his friends,"

Grandis nodded thoughtfully. "I guess we can try and see if there's anything we can do to help him. Maybe get him some food or something… Make him feel better."

"You'll do that, Grandis?" Magnus asked, taking a few tentative steps forward. The sorcerer turned his head to face her and nodded. "Thank you _so_ much!" She said, racing forward to hug him. "Thank you so freaking much,"

* * *

**Author's Notes**

I am _so_ sorry about the long wait on this chapter. I really am. In the meantime, however, I _did_ write some RoaDorchette shounen-ai, called _A Dog for Roa _and _Property of_ for you FMA fans to enjoy (some of you may not even know _Fullmetal Alchemist_, but you might read it anyway). So, anyhoo, it's now REVIEWER THANK-YOU NOTE TIME!

**Mr. Grae:** So, I surprised you on the murder thing, eh? Well, I got the desired effect, so that's good. It worked. I like how the third chapter turned out, even if it was really short. Reading back on it, you were right about the tone of the whole chapter. Definitely.

**Specter Von Baren:** Good point about the turtle; it _does_ have a very impressive attack. I feel _very_ honored receiving a review from a selective reviewer. You can probably guess who the lizard and the knight are.

**Crepusculum Flos:** Wow, _awesome _pen name. Anyways, thank you for reviewing. I know you have a busy schedule, so it means a lot to me. Yah, it think Grandis'll be the bad guy (Grandis: HEY!), but it all depends on whose side you're on. If you're on the one side, he's the antagonist, but if you're on Grandis' side, you consider him the good side… Hope that makes sense…

Yup, so here's chapter four. It turned out to be the hardest chapter so far. My writer's block comes back irregularly, and it starts to piss me off. But finally, I managed to dash off something before going to school. (We had a delayed opening today, so no big deal.) Chapter five'll be up soon, I suspect, if my writer's block doesn't come back. I swear, it's like the oil stain that never goes away no matter how many times you wash your pants… Um… yah. 'Twas random, but… Onwards and forwards through _Tamers_!


	5. The Grim of the Lizard

**Title:** Tamers of the Colossus

**Song:** _The Mystic's Dream_, by Loreena McKennitt

**Author: **UltimatePalmTree

**Pairing: **_Possible _OC/OC. Don't know yet for sure.

**Fandom:** Shadow of the Colossus

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Fantasy

**Warnings:** Violence, death/dying/killing, possible torture, but nothing graphic.

**Distribution:** No. Nothing. You _cannot_ distribute it without my say-so. I'm sorry, but I like to know where my crap ends up.

**Summary:** Possible AUPre-Game Before Wander, there were sixteen others who came and went to the Cursed and Forbidden Lands. Not to kill them, mind you, but to tame the beasts.

**Authoress' Notes:** Most of the time, this will be centered on Phaedra, Hydrus and Avion's tamers (my three favorite Colossi _ever_). Inspired by playing the game for three hours straight and questioning who Dormin and the Colossi are. 'Nuff said, methinks. Most of the time, this will be centered on Phaedra, Hydrus and Avion's tamers (my three favorite Colossi _ever_). Don't own _Shadow of the Colossus_.

_**Chapter Five**_

_The Grim of the Lizard_

Half of the time the tamers inhabited the land, they never came across one another. The reason was, simply put, that the realm they were in was extremely vast. They almost never found each other, and even rarer found themselves in the same place twice in one week. A tamer would find a place that would catch his or her eye, and decide to check it out later when he or she had more time. After all, the catacombs and tunnels snaking through the land were extremely long and sometimes hazardous. Then, about a month later, they'd find the place again (usually on accident) and check it out regardless of how much time they actually had. This was how Umbra had managed to find his coliseum, and how Avis had managed to find Umbra.

Avis knew it wasn't too intelligent to go running around potentially dangerous ruins when he couldn't move his torso all the way and his arm movement was limited. But there were just some days where you didn't feel like listening to the nagging voice in your head telling you to turn back. And this was one of those days. Avis also felt a distinct notion that something was going to go wrong today. His network of senses was on high alert, causing him to jump if a small stone clattered to the floor behind him.

As he proceeded, he finally found a way out. Possibly to the outside world again, but no guarantees. After a year or so in the realm they were in, they had learned that just about any path led to just about anywhere. Avis finally found himself looking at an alabaster white wall with a grated window on the other side of his own. Down about five or six floors was a small circle of grass. This was a coliseum, something where the ancient civilization that lived here came to watch the games and sports. Must've been dangerous… Every floor had grated windows. Big, too…

He paused a second in his thoughts, then looked down again. Lying down there on the side of the grassy field was _something_, something that looked _very_ much dead. Avis inhaled sharply; he could take heights and sudden drops and dips and dives, but he couldn't bear to see anything dead. Especially when the something looked vaguely human.

He took a deep breath, and beyond his better judgment, started down the extremely long stairs all the way to the bottom. When he got there, he went to one of the four staircases, attempting to keep his mind on something other than the possibility of a dead thing. He tried to think of what went on in this arena at one point, but that didn't help much for fairly obvious reasons.

Upon further examination, it _was_, in fact, a human. Avis stepped backwards from the human on the ground; a moment's waiting told him this human was still alive. The shallow breathing seemed to tell him that was definite. Avis approached the human, unsure of what he was doing. _What'd Bellator do in this sort of situation?_ He kept wondering. Probably some weird herb crap. He bent down and apprehensively touched the person, poking him in the ribs with a finger. Surprisingly, the boy reacted by swatting lamely at his hand and opening his eyes, staring blearily up at Avis.

Something _finally_ clicked in Avis' head. "_Umbra?_" he muttered. "The heck's wrong with you?" He noticed Umbra starting to shut his eyes again, and Avis snapped his fingers two inches away from the other boy's nose. "Umbra, stay with me here," Avis ordered.

"I'm awake," he muttered, not sounding at _all_ convincing. Avis was visibly shaking now; he was genuinely scared for Umbra's health. He figured he could take Umbra back to Bellator and Phaedra if he flew fast enough. He decided this was the best option out of all the others, including leaving him to die. Avis gripped Umbra's wrists and pulled his torso off of the ground before hauling the lizard tamer onto his back.

"Let's get you out of here," Avis nodded. Suddenly, there was a sharp sting at his lower forearm, as if someone had cut him with a knife. He hissed in pain and examined his left wrist. Something, like a black octopus' tentacle, was pulsating and was coming from Umbra's wrist to entwine itself around Avis', like a snake. Avis screamed, and abruptly dropped Umbra. He was now even more scared of the _thing_ around his wrist, and he was keen on getting it off. He leapt backwards, but the _thing_ still remained, connecting them like some sort of rope. He yelled again, shaking his wrist.

Almost as suddenly as it had come, the 'rope' between them snapped. One part stayed wrapped around Umbra's wrist. The other half, though, was cutting into Avis'. He hissed as it penetrated through his skin and dropped down to his knees, clutching his arm to his chest. Pain slowly twisted through his body, reminding him of when he had freed Avion. Pain enveloped his senses almost completely.

Why I say 'almost completely' is because something in his brain didn't switch off when the ache took over the rest of him. Suddenly, in the deathly silence, a stone clattered down from a higher level. Avis wrenched his gaze from the 'snake' and looked up at the side of the coliseum. Something told him to get out of there _now_. Without hesitating, the bird colossus tamer ran up the nearest set of stairs and hid behind the staircase, still clutching at his wrist.

Small pebbles clattered as something or someone made its way down the stairs above him. He could hear the tapping of some sort of hard material against the stone steps. At the moment when the footsteps were most prominent, he seized up and stopped all motion. Until he was sure whatever it was went away, he crawled out of his hiding spot, watching the drama and pathos unfolding before him in the coliseum.

A boy, standing at exactly six-foot-eight, was walking with his arms outstretched. Wrapped around his arms were sorcerer's bracelets: left was covered in blood red and right was covered in dark blue. _Grandis…_ he thought. He stood up slightly to watch the scene before him, eyes widening as the Sixteenth Tamer approached Umbra. Grandis didn't seem to notice him watching them. He withdrew a knife—must've been about a foot long—and twirled it slightly. _Don't you _dare Avis thought angrily.

What Avis had feared would happen did. Grandis took the knife and plunged it into Umbra's heaving side. He made a strangled squeak as he stood up fully, and tore up the stairs, not caring if Grandis heard him. He _needed_ to talk to Marinus.

* * *

"Wait, you said he _killed_ Umbra?" Marinus asked, shaking his head.

"Yes! I saw the knife go in and everything!" Avis said. He was still shaking and was impressed he didn't fall off during the flight back to the lake. "But why would he do it? From what I remember, Grandis was really nice before… Now he's a knife-wielding murderer; where the heck did he even _get_ the knives!"

"Avis?" Marinus interjected, but the other tamer wouldn't listen.

"I mean, I don't think he has knifes. Wouldn't we _know_ if he had knives? It looked very well-crafted, too. Not the stone knives I make; but the ones back in our village…"

"Avis! Shut up and calm down," Marinus said, glaring at his friend. He paused for a minute before saying, "You _really_ need to learn to control yourself; you can be so hysterical sometimes,"

"Wouldn't _you_ be if you just saw someone _murdered_ in front of you?"

"I'm not saying that I wouldn't be. I'm just saying you need to calm down," Marinus said. "Geez… Flighty takes on a whole new meaning with you air-breathers,"

"Shut up," Avis muttered. "Just _shut it_. I'm not in the mood for your sarcasm,"

"Sarcasm?" Marinus drew back. "I'm only trying to calm you down. Alright. Other subject matter. Anything _else_ weird happen in the last week?"

"Attempted murder," Avis muttered. "Candor tried to kill me,"

"Candor. That lion tamer, yes?"

"Yeah. Him. I went to see him and he nearly ripped my head off. _Literally_,"

"Alright. That makes _two_ attacks that I know of," Marinus nodded. "You're absolutely right; they're definitely changing,"

"Told you,"

Marinus thought for a second. "You reckon something really _bad_ will happen? Like war or something equally as horrific,"

"If so, I'm gonna be one of the first people actually fighting them off; trust me. They're gonna have a really hard time hitting a flying target,"

* * *

"This is kind of a stupid question, Recanto, but do you think a tamer could ride another's colossus?"

Recanto looked up from the arrowhead he was failing to tie onto the stick with the golden hawk feather tied to the other end. "Like if you could ride Basaran or Harena could ride Phalanx?"

"Exactly," Velivolus nodded. "You think so, Harena?"

The other boy (a sandy-haired sixteen-year-old with black roots and tips) looked up from the head of the massive sand dragon he was petting and cocked his head, carefully deciding. Finally, he nodded and went back to petting his sand dragon, Dirge. "We could try it out!" Velivolus offered. "Like Recanto could try to ride Phalanx, or something! Well? You think so?"

Recanto thought for a second and finally nodded. "Sure, whatever," The three friends exited Harena's cave, Velivolus raising her hands so as to call Phalanx down. A few minutes later, the dragon swooped down, using his stone wings to hover a few feet above the ground. Recanto grasped one of the wing's ridges and clambered up to the head of the creature. Almost instantaneously, the massive creature went into a near-vertical climb, scaring Recanto out of his wits. The next few minutes were all a blur of a color wheel of scenery: yellow-green for the ground and blue for the sky. Just as suddenly as it had climbed into the air, it dropped out of the sky. The tortoise colossus held on for dear life as he plummeted downwards. The dragon evened out a few feet above the ground, letting Recanto jump off, rolling onto his back as he fell and rolled a few feet.

Velivolus and Harena were by him in an instant. "You alright?" Velivolus asked, bending down.

Recanto nodded uncertainly, stood up and raced behind a boulder, retching and coughing. "I take that as a no to both of your questions, Velivolus," Harena said in a serious tone before going back to his cave.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Characters So Far**

Quadratus (bull): Magnus (female)

Gaius (knight): Veritas (male)

Phaedra (horse): Bellator (male)

Avion (bird): Avis (male)

Hydrus (eel): Marinus (male)

Kuromori (lizard): Umbra (male)

Dirge (sand snake): Harena (male)

Phalanx (dragon): Velivolus (female)

Cenobia (lion): Candor (male)

Malus (sorcerer): Grandis (male)

Alright. Fifth chapter is _finally_ up. I'm actually quite happy by the way it turned out. Also, I need to say one thing: thank you to my friend, Crepusculum Flos for the title for this chapter. So, I have a week off, meaning I'll be able to get the sixth and (possibly) seventh chapter up during the week. I hope I'll be able to write something in the space of a week; if I don't have any chapters up for a week off, there's really no excuse…

So, anyway. Responses to reviews. Once again, thank you a thousand times over.

**Specter Von Baren:** Yup, turns out you were right about Umbra. Only to get a knife in his side, huh? But yes, Grandis _is_ the tamer for the Tower. It's funny; they call it a 'sorcerer', which is why I made Grandis a sorcerer. My friend thinks he's a man in a skirt. As for Umbra, Dormin is starting to slowly take over…

**Mr. Grae:** I'll _definitely_ see what I can do about strategic placement. I was planning on having the final battle in the main field, so war _will_ definitely rage. Yes, I hope you won't be disappointed.

So, this was the fifth chapter. Things are starting to get slightly more interesting, ne? I hope so; this was also a pretty hard chapter to write. The first three just flowed out like nothing, and then the fourth one came along, and… massive writer's block.

'Tis about all I have to say for now. I hope you'll join me in the sixth chapter and beyond for this story; I'm really having a _lot_ of fun writing this! See you next time!


	6. Shadows on the Wall

**Title:** Tamers of the Colossi

**Song:**_The Mystic's Dream_, by Loreena McKennitt

**Author: **UltimatePalmTree

**Pairing: **_Possible _OC/OC. Don't know yet for sure.

**Fandom:** Shadow of the Colossus

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Fantasy

**Warnings:** Violence, death/dying/killing, possible torture, but nothing graphic.

**Distribution:** No. Nothing. You _cannot_ distribute it without my say-so. I'm sorry, but I like to know where my crap ends up.

**Summary:** Possible AUPre-Game Before Wander, there were sixteen others who came and went to the Cursed and Forbidden Lands. Not to kill them, mind you, but to tame the beasts.

**Authoress' Notes:** Inspired by playing the game for three hours straight and questioning who Dormin and the Colossi are. 'Nuff said, methinks. Don't own _Shadow of the Colossus_.

_**Chapter Six**_

_Shadow on the Wall_

The Storm Echo, the Trail Drifter and the Sand Tiger Tamers made their way across the land the next day, their colossi behind them. Since both Velivolus and Recanto had previously faced Grandis, the two of them were slightly more alert than Harena. It was because of this heightened sense of their surroundings that they heard the distinct sound of falling water. Upon further examination, they found the mouth of a cave, with the supposed waterfall glittering in the sun's rays.

It was Recanto who suggested going into the cave and exploring it. "Let's _not_ and say we did, alright?" Harena said. Recanto shook his head at his friend and entered the cave, watching the waterfall transfixed. "Do you have any possible idea of what could happen to us in there if we do?"

"At most, we find a cool new hiding spot," Recanto pointed out. "Besides, aren't I the one who has the bow and arrow?"

"Of which you can't aim to save your life," Velivolus sniggered. This earned her a glare from Recanto, who then turned around and started across the small land bridge to the other side. Both Harena and Velivolus held back, very uncertain of whether to actually follow him or not, and waited for him to come running back out there with his tail between his legs. It never happened.

"You think we should go in there after him?" Harena asked, turning to Velivolus. The female Tamer nodded resolutely, and started to walk.

"Even though he can't aim to save his life, he _is_ still our friend, and I doubt we'd want anything to happen to him," she pointed out. Harena turned around to face Dirge, the massive Sand Dragon behind him before bowing and telling him to stay. All three of their Colossi stayed behind as they proceeded through the cave.

The Tamers of Phalanx and Dirge encountered Recanto within a massive room, with an island in the center of a large lake. A broad ray of sunshine shone on the small building in the middle of this island, and the water glinted like a jewel. Recanto was kneeling by the water's edge, scanning the lake. He obviously wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, and jumped a foot in the air when Velivolus merely tapped him on the shoulder. "You alright?"

"There's something in the water," Recanto replied shortly. "Help me look or something,"

Harena turned his eyes to the water and said, "How big is it?"

Recanto looked up at him, "You're joking, right? Like I really pay attention to how big the fish are when I get around to shooting at them,"

"You actually _shoot_ at the fish?" Velivolus asked.

"Yeah… Although, I'll admit it doesn't work too well…"

Harena looked up from the water's surface and said, "Hm. I _wonder_ why," before returning to his previous task.

There was a sudden splash from across the lake, causing all three of them to look up at the same time. "_What_… the _hell_?" Velivolus asked skeptically. Just as sudden as the splash had been, someone actually surfaced. It was a long, blonde-haired boy with a broad face and a languid expression, holding a fish in his mouth. "Marinus!" the female Tamer yelled. "Over here!"

Marinus looked up from the water and nodded before diving down below the surface once more. He was fairly fast underwater, since a few seconds later he popped up, closer this time. The fish was still clenched in his jaws, and he looked up at them with ice blue eyes innocently. "What the heck are you doing here?" Recanto asked. "I thought you couldn't get out of the water!"

Marinus held up one finger in a 'one second' gesture before tossing the fish into the air and swallowing it headfirst. The sight of this vaguely repulsed the three other Tamers, but they quickly recovered when he began to speak. "I can't get out of the water,"

"Then how are you _here_?" Velivolus said.

Marinus cocked his head, a wry expression on his face. "You really should spend more time underwater. If you had, you would've noticed a few underwater caves. Most are caved in, but there are some that aren't. This just happened to be one that wasn't. Avis and I are looking around in the ruins," He then puffed out his chest in pride and said, "_I'm_ keeping watch,"

"Then what's _Avis_ doing?" Harena asked.

Marinus shrugged. "I dunno. He said something about giving Umbra a proper burial. He said it wasn't right to leave his body lying there where the vultures could pick out his eyes and—"

"Alright, that's _enough_," Recanto said, holding up a hand. "Who's Umbra?"

Marinus cocked his head. "You don't… know him?" he said, sort of distantly.

"I know _of_ him," Harena said. "But not personally. What was his Colossus?"

"Hold on. Gimme a minute…" Marinus said before diving under the surface.

"We're not getting anywhere, are we?" Velivolus said in a monotone after a few seconds. "If he keeps diving under for _fish_ of all things,"

Marinus resurfaced, this time only the tail of a small silver fish sticking out of his mouth. "A lishard," he said around the fish before swallowing it. "His Colossus was a lizard called… I think it was Kuromori… Something like that. So, Avis is going to give him a proper burial type thing. Goody, you'll be here for the funeral,"

"We aren't here for _any_ funeral of _any _type!" Recanto growled. "We're just exploring,"

Marinus' eyes widened slightly at Recanto's harshness, but nodded. "You can find Avis in the coliseum. At least, that's where he _said_ he'd be," Marinus shrugged and dove into the water. He didn't come up.

Recanto fell backwards (he had been kneeling for the whole conversation) and thought for a second. "What's say we go and see Avis?" he said meditatively.

"No way in the nine realms," Velivolus said.

"Why not?" Recanto said. "Come on. Where's your sense of adventure?" He stood up, arms spread apart slightly.

"Listen, for once, I agree with Harena," Velivolus said. Recanto noticed that she was doing some sort of weird gesture with her hands. She only did this when she thought the exploration was going to take a turn for the worse. Maybe something for protection? "We should stay here and just see if Marinus can talk for a little while. I like talking with him,"

"You're just afraid, aren't you? Like there's gonna be anything really that harmful to us in there. What's the worst that they can throw at us? A puny lizard?" Recanto laughed. "I eat them for breakfast!"

"When you can aim straight," Harena snorted.

Recanto shot Harena a glare before turning around and starting to wade into the water. "Hold on a second, where're you going?" Velivolus yelled.

"Where does it _look_ like I'm goin'?" Recanto yelled back, not even bothering to turn around this time. "I'm gonna go and check out the ruins. Looks like fun, yeah?"

"If you like being killed," Harena said. His usual monotone wasn't gone, but he did raise his voice. It took a lot to anger Harena, an ordinarily patient and placid Tamer. Recanto still went onwards towards the island, now paddling across the water, struggling to keep his head up above the surface. He heard Harena mutter something before hearing his friends start swimming across the lake.

Recanto clambered onto dry land and shook himself off, much like a dog. "Took you long enough," he said arrogantly. "Let's go and see what we can find, shall we?"

* * *

It was a long, quiet walk through the stone tunnel. The reason for its length was because the three Tamers were apprehensive of what might happen. Recanto held his bow in his one hand, an arrow in the other in case he had to fire it. Velivolus' small stone knife was clenched in one fist, and Harena held his spear in both hands, glaring at everything and anything that moved. 

"Light!" Recanto barked excitedly. "There's a light!" He sprinted ahead of Velivolus and Harena, who stopped, looked at each other and shook their heads before continuing to follow Recanto. They found him standing in front of an iron-wrought window in the coliseum, looking around. "This is _so_ cool," he said happily.

"This is _so_ stupid," Velivolus said in an imitation of Harena.

They paused, listening. In fact, there _were_ footsteps. "Oh crud," Harena said. At that, Velivolus and Recanto took off in a brisk run, Harena trailing behind them. Recanto's head switched from side to side, trying to find a spot big enough for all of them. His eyes happened to land on a massive block of stone, which he dove for and gestured frantically to the others to come and hide. They didn't need telling twice.

For a few seconds, it was complete silence except for their ragged breathing and their hearts pounding in their ears. The footsteps seemed to be coming closer to them until it was almost literally on top of them. They refused to breathe as the other person muttered to himself (it sounded like a him, so they naturally assumed this). In a few seconds, they were walking briskly away from the block. Harena let out a huge breathe before Recanto noticed the person. And instantly recognized him. "It's Avis!" Recanto yelled. "Hey, Avis!" He popped up like a demented jack-in-the-box, delighted at Avis' reaction: surprise.

"It's only you…" he panted.

"Well, it's actually me an' Velivolus an' Harena, but if you're looking for smarts, it's technically only me," He received a swift kick (most likely from Velivolus) in a particularly sensitive area. At this point, Velivolus clambered over the stone box and over to Avis.

"We met Marinus at the lake back there," she said. "Said something about a proper burial for Umbra?"

"Yes," Avis bobbed his head hurriedly. "But I can't find him,"

"What do you mean?" Harena asked. "If he's _dead_, like you said, he can't just get up and walk away,"

"That's the freaking problem! Grandis wouldn't drag a dead body anywhere with him, even to dispose of it. He'd leave it there as a reminder to others! And it was only one day ago I saw him kill Umbra!"

"Grandis…" Velivolus hissed. "_That's_ who tried to kill Recanto,"

"Yeah. I've got a scab to prove it," Recanto said, standing up unsteadily and pointing at the center of his forehead. The blood had fully hardened into a disgustingly crusty scab, like he had said. Avis winced slightly before recovering.

"So, what do you think happened?" Harena asked after a second.

"I don't _know_! Obviously someone moved him, but I just don't know _who_ or _what_," Avis said.

"We'll help," Velivolus offered. "The three of us,"

Avis nodded tersely and then stalked off in another direction. "Check the lower levels. I haven't been down there yet," he yelled over his shoulder. The other three Tamers nodded, and started down the stairs.

"Harena, you look on this floor. I'll look on the next one down and Recanto, you look at the one below mine, alright?" she said. Harena nodded and Recanto gave a noncommittal shrug. "Good. Let's go,"

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Recanto was still scouring the floor he had been assigned. He was silent, the only sound was his footsteps on the stone. Across the coliseum was a part of the wall that had been completely torn off, exposing the interior of the place to the bright sunlight. Interested, he started across over to that part of the wall, apprehensive all the same. 

He stopped, looking out across the coliseum. He could see Velivolus walking around in the floor above before she disappeared entirely. The tortoise Tamer sat down on the edge of the part where the wall had been ripped out and looked around disinterestedly. _Stupid Avis,_ he thought. _I'm hungry… I want a lizard or a fruit or _something_ that looks remotely like food…_

He was staring into the amber eyes of a colossal stone lizard as he thought this. He froze, eyes widening in panic as the lizard focused in on him. Recanto slowly got up, never taking his eyes off of the lizard. _Crap. I will _never_ eat another lizard again, as long as I live. I swear._ He thought, backing up. A yellow ball of what looked like energy built up in the lizard's mouth, and suddenly shot out at Recanto.

The ball missed him by about three inches, but it exploded, sending cascades of noxious-smelling gas all over the area he was in. Recanto coughed, burying his nose in his sleeve and took off running. Once he was sure he could breath without the fear of that stuff burning his lungs, he screamed, "Velivolus! Harena! Avis!"

Velivolus came down the stairs first, and nearly crashed into him. "What the _heck_ are you _doing_!"

"You don't want to know! Just get the heck out of here!" Recanto yelled. Suddenly, another blast told Recanto that the lizard had fired another orb of poisonous gas and he grabbed his friend and dragged her up the stairs. Harena and Avis were on their way down, but with a quick gesture from Recanto, they ran towards the tunnel.

"Maybe we can actually fight this thing?" Velivolus suggested.

"_Fight it_!" Recanto squeaked. "Are you freaking _serious_!"

"Very. Or at least, buy us some time!"

Recanto turned to face Avis and Harena, to Velivolus and back to the other two. "Avis, you get out of here and we'll fight the lizard!"

Avis nodded resolutely and took off towards the ruins and the lake where Marinus was. "Alright, let's figure out a strategy,"

"Good plan. What do you have in mind?" Velivolus yelled over the din of the lizard colossus.

"I have _no_ plans as of now, but I'll keep you posted!"

Finally, they had somehow managed to ditch Kuromori (at least, that's what Marinus called him…) at one of the top levels, still looking for them. They were all huddled in a small circle, trying to level out their breathing. "Alright. We can't just sit here and wait for him to come," Velivolus said. "Obviously. How about we try and find a weak spot while he's up there?"

"Sounds good," Harena said. He turned to Recanto and said, "I know your aim really sucks, but try and hit it in the eye,"

"I think if we can knock it down, we can actually get a stab at it, you know?" Velivolus said.

"Yeah," Recanto nodded. "Good thinking. You guys wait at the top of the stairs and if I manage to get him to fall, let him have it any place concievable!" He took another arrow out of his quiver (he had dropped the first in fright and wasn't about to go up there to get it too soon) and strung it as he ran into the grassy center of the coliseum. It didn't take long for the lizard to figure out he was aiming for his legs. Another ball of energy accumulated in his mouth as Recanto tried desperately to line up his shot as quickly as he could. Of course, it was a bigger target, so he might have a shot.

He let the arrow go, and it sailed through the air, the white feather end of it twirling in the air as it flew. He saw it sink into the lizard's left leg and the creature faltered, causing the blast to disappear from sight. "Do that again!" Velivolus screamed. "The other leg, this time!"

Recanto nodded, and quickly strung his bow. "Nighty night!" he yelled, and felt intense satisfaction as the arrow sank into the other leg.

It was soon replaced by a dread as the lizard fell from its perch, the grip it had on the wall loose enough to dislodge it. He twisted around, trying to sprint away before it fell. Kuromori crashed into the ground, sending him flying into the air and smashing back down to earth in a disoriented heap. When he finally recovered from the shock of the creature falling, he turned around to look at the lizard. Velivolus and Harena were standing on the underbelly, both of them stabbing at the glowing light blue markings visible on Kuromori. All the Colossi (and the Tamers) had them. They were their weak spots.

Suddenly, Harena yelled out in pain as one of Recanto's handmade arrows pierced his shoulder, going clean through the other end and lodging into his flesh. _I didn't…_ Recanto thought, but his thoughts were cut off. He saw a mere sliver of darkness, and he looked up. Visible in one of the massive windows was a shadow in the shape of a human. Distinct features weren't clear, but it was about the right height of the boy Recanto had tried to fight out on the plains.

"Umbra!" he yelled. The shadow boy turned to face him, staring at him curiously. Then he pounced. He landed smoothly, like a cat, as if the impact hadn't affected him. He stood up, wisps of shadow twisting off of the main body like smoke off a fire. A black, pulsating, gelatinous blob was in the center of what would have been its chest. _Aw, snap…_ he thought, officially frightened. A colossal lizard was one thing. A shadow was another. A _very_ big difference.

At that instant, the lizard managed to buck itself back onto its feet, black blood splattering all over the walls, Velivolus and Harena sent flying across the coliseum. The shadow turned its head to face the lizard before leaping high into the air and landing on its back. It pointed a long finger at the three tamers, and the lizard charged up another explosion. They scattered, each of them sprinting up a different staircase so as to confuse the lizard. "_That_ worked nicely, didn't it?" Recanto yelled over the din.

"Shut up! We at least did some damage!" Velivolus hissed.

"Only to piss off a shadow version of Umbra!" he yelled back.

"C'mon, let's try this routine again," Harena yelled. The other two nodded and they set up their trap once more.

Just as they were going to strike, Velivolus was caught from behind around the neck and dragged backwards. She tried to scream out for her friends, but a hand forced itself to her mouth, forcing a glass vial into her mouth. She could feel liquid dripping into her mouth and down her throat; she tried to bring something up to discourage this person from further harming her.

Almost instantly, she ceased movement. Not because she had finally given in; because of whatever the liquid was. She felt herself go dead to the world, looking up at an oddly-shaped mask, covering the person's head and shoulders entirely. She finally stopped trying to comprehend what was happened and fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Recanto realigned his bow, trying to shoot out the other leg to get it to fall. He was unaware of what had happened to Velivolus. Just as he finally got the shot and was going to let the arrow go, he felt a spike of pain in the center of his back. He whirled around in a fit of rage. He was covered in black colossus blood and he was getting a headache from straining himself (it was a warm day), so he had every reason to be pissed off. Standing at the bottom of the staircase behind him was someone wearing a mask. Said mask was quite distorted, to be putting it nicely. Probably so they couldn't tell who it was. Recanto restrung his bow as the person ran forwards, the strands of grass switching back and forth in time with the movements. As Recanto tried to fire the string, the person leapt on him, throwing him off balance and pinning him down to the ground. 

Recanto struggled as a thin tube of some sort was forced into his mouth. He bit down on the fragile tube, feeling it crack and the liquid flowing into his mouth. He choked and spluttered, but the person clasped a hand over his mouth so he couldn't spit it out. Almost on accident, Recanto swallowed it, shards of the tube and all. His movement soon ceased as well. Harena had been given this treatment as well. With the three tamers knocked out, they grabbed them, and (with a nod from the leader in a mask) ran out of the coliseum.

* * *

Avis stopped, coughing and massaging his raw throat. He hadn't run so fast in his entire life, and he didn't think he'd want to be acquainted with water any time soon unless to drink. He was hiding in the entrance of the cave, waiting for Avion to come and get him out of there. He was glancing around nervously, aware of his surroundings and waiting for the familiar sound of Avion's wings. 

Instead, there was a clatter of feet on stone as he turned around again. A person wearing a crude mask was right behind him, a long knife raised high. He yelped in surprise, got up and began running as fast as his legs could carry him. The person behind was much faster and easily overtook him. He knocked Avis down by smashing the hilt of the knife on his head and pinned him down. Avis didn't try to resist; his world was spinning. His mouth was wrenched open and he felt cool liquid trickle down his throat. "Sorry, Avis," the person muttered before everything went black.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_**Characters So Far**_

Quadratus (bull): Magnus (female)

Gaius (knight): Veritas (male)

Phaedra (horse): Bellator (male)

Avion (bird): Avis (male)

Hydrus (eel): Marinus (male)

Kuromori (lizard): Umbra (male)

Dirge (sand snake): Harena (male)

Phalanx (dragon): Velivolus (female)

Cenobia (lion): Candor (male)

Malus (sorcerer): Grandis (male)

Alright. First things first.

I am sorry that I didn't get to write this chapter when I said I would. I thought Inspiration had bit me, but it turned out to be some other generic pit bull. It was actually… um, hold on… seven or eight weeks later that Inspiration felt compelled to get off his butt and bite me. So, I blame the pit bull.

Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. I hope it got slightly more interesting this time 'round. This is actually the longest chapter I've written: not including the author's notes, it's seven pages long. I'm quite proud of myself; I couldn't do that three years ago. I'd usually have one or two page chapters, and it used to _really_ piss me off. Then I started looking at Stephen King, and his chapters are usually a paragraph or so long. So, go fig.

A'ight, peeps. Time for the part you've been waiting for: review thank-you note corner.

**Mr. Grae:** Hee… About the character list, I aim to please! XD Trust me; the war is going to be _epic_. I mean Odyssey-size. (Alright, well, maybe not _that_ big, but it'll be close!) Yep-yep, Umbra 'died'. Poor lizards. They're always the first ones to go, aren't they? Especially with me. I see a lizard, out comes the sword or bow. Keep readin', my friend!

**Crepusculum Flos:** I'd agree about the easier-to-write-reviews thing. It's easier to write author's notes, too. I hope that Inspiration will bite you too; I'm sorry you're havin' so much trouble on the stories! Both of them are really good. (School really screws with your system, doesn't it? XD) So, you're starting to like Grandis a bit more? It's fun writing about psychopathic maniacs, isn't it?

**jjaxis:** Yay! A new reader! It makes me happy to get reviews, especially when they say my story is compelling. Seriously, I was having a really bad day until I got your review. About the character development thing, this is kind of the rough draft, so it's going to be kinda sucky the first time. But thank you for the constrictive criticism! As for the pawns and the characters who make you wonder… Let's just say… you're gonna be surprised…

Alright. That's pretty much it. And I just have a quick trivia question for my faithful readers:

**What is your favorite Colossus and/or Tamer and why?**

I like to hear what people like about my characters… So, yah. You know my favorites. (hugs Avion, Hydrus and Phaedra)

Once again, thanks ever so much for the reviews and for reading my story. (bows respectfully to my readers) UltimatePalmTree, out!


	7. Ta Fa Ched

**Title:** Tamers of the Colossi

**Song:**_The Mystic's Dream_, by Loreena McKennitt

**Author: **UltimatePalmTree

**Pairing: **_Possible _OC/OC. Don't know yet for sure.

**Fandom:** Shadow of the Colossus

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Fantasy

**Warnings:** Violence, death/dying/killing, possible torture, but nothing graphic.

**Distribution:** No. Nothing. You _cannot_ distribute it without my say-so. I'm sorry, but I like to know where my crap ends up.

**Summary:** Possible AUPre-Game Before Wander, there were sixteen others who came and went to the Cursed and Forbidden Lands. Not to kill them, mind you, but to tame the beasts.

**Authoress' Notes:** Inspired by playing the game for three hours straight and questioning who Dormin and the Colossi are. 'Nuff said, methinks. Don't own _Shadow of the Colossus_.

_**Chapter Seven**_

_Ta Fa Ched_

Recanto awoke with a dull, throbbing pain in his head. It was similar to the one he received the day after Grandis had stabbed him. He opened his eyes a slit; his vision was clouded slightly and he couldn't make out if anyone was in the room with him. It felt cold and drafty, wherever he was. He could tell he was lying on a hard surface (stone?). He figured it was just another side effect of the drug…

_The drug!_ Recanto's eyelids—the only muscles on him that seemed to be working at this point—snapped open, his pupils dilating and contracting and trying to focus on the world around him. He blinked rapidly, each time he opened his eyes the clouds seemed to ebb a little. When it was clear that he wasn't blind, he tried to move. He managed to get his arm to move a little bit, but not that much. Not a lot of control over his body.

He waited for something—_anything_—to happen. Impatiently, he tried to move again, this time trying to inch himself forwards a little bit. His body seemed to be working a bit better than before, since he managed to pull his torso off of the ground. He was weak, sure, but he had assessed that he wasn't paralyzed either. He twisted around to see his body. Nothing was missing; everything was perfectly fine. He tried moving his legs, which seemed to be reluctant to obey. Every muscle in his body burned as if he had been scalded from the inside out. Either than that, he seemed fine and alive.

"Well, where are we?" Recanto turned his head to the left slightly, catching something jumping up and down in his peripheral vision. Two other people, a girl and a boy, were standing just outside the columned shelter Recanto was recovering in, looking around at the massive underground room. _Do I know them?_ Recanto thought blearily, and started to try and stand up. Tentatively, he took a step forwards, like a baby trying to walk for the first time. When he saw his legs didn't buckle, he started towards them, taking care not to trip over himself or anything else.

He approached the girl, who turned around. "Recanto!" she yelled and threw herself at him in a massive hug. The two of them collided, the girl smashing Recanto to the floor and making his headache about five times worse. She didn't seem to mind; she was hanging onto his neck like there was no tomorrow and no one else was in the room with them. "Oh, bless the Allfather!" she yelled happily. _Joy, Velivolus…_ Recanto thought bitterly, finally remembering her name. "We thought you were dead!"

"I'm sure he'd appreciate it if you let go of him, Velivolus," the boy said. Both of them looked up to see him staring at them. "Yes, it is nice to see you join the living," _Harena._ He remembered his name, too. He knew them; they were his friends. Recanto focused his attention at Velivolus, who was still situated with her arms around his neck and straddling his stomach.

"Get _off_ me," he growled angrily, and grasped Velivolus anywhere he could hold. It was a particularly… _awkward_ spot where he chose to push her off him. She quickly let go, and stood up, straightening her bangs as she did. "Right. Back to the whole issue of where we are," she said, suddenly all business-like.

"Well," Harena said, turning around, "I could be wrong, but it looks like some sort of irrigation system. You know, like the ones I had back at home? See, there'd be drains," He pointed to the floor, where there _was_ a drain. "Primitive filtration system," He pointed at the iron bars situated in the three walls. "It fits everything that would make it a filtration system,"

"And how do we get _out_?" Recanto asked.

Harena paused in thought before saying slowly, "I… have no idea…"

Suddenly, there was a low, reverberating growl broke the silence. Velivolus' hand went, almost instinctively, to her waist. This was where she kept the stone knife. She made like she had it, but Recanto saw her hands clamp down on nothing. Upon further examination, the usual brown belt of lizard skin (really, what else was there to use?) was gone entirely. She started cursing in another language when two Colossi, no bigger than a horse but daunting nonetheless, leapt out at them. The three of them dodged the creatures; a motion Recanto's still unresponsive body didn't appreciate.

The two Colossi circled menacingly. If they could move their tails, they would have been switching back and forth like a cat's tail. Both of the creatures had long claws, and what appeared to be almost draconic armor covering their backs. One had a stone mane splaying out from the back of their head, and creating the illusion it was bigger than it really was. Nevertheless, they were scared senseless.

"Ignis, Candor, what'd I tell you? You keep those beasts locked _up_," a deceptively gentle voice came from the upper left hand side. The three of them wrenched their gazes from the two creatures that were circling them and looked up. Standing on one of the ledges lining the place was a familiar dark-haired young man.

"Grandis!" Both Velivolus and Recanto yelled.

"Haven't forgotten about me, have you?" he grinned, bearing his teeth in a sadistic grin. "No, I didn't think you did. After all, I _did_ leave quite a nasty mark on your forehead, didn't I?" He turned to Recanto before sitting down, legs dangling from the ledge. "Sooo… how're all you today? Did you have a nice sleep?"

"You!" Velivolus hissed. "You're the one who did that?"

Grandis extended his arms in a very 'yeah, it was me' gesture before saying, "Who'd you expect it to be? Your Allfather?"

"Don't you _dare_ use the Allfather's name like that!" Velivolus yelled, instinctively crouching into her attack stance. "And while we were drugged, _you_ took our weapons!"

"What'd you expect me to do? Once you gained control over your body, we figured it'd be a bad idea to leave dangerous toys around you four,"

Harena looked around quickly before glaring back up at Grandis. "There's only three of us,"

Grandis' eyes widened in mock surprise. "You sure? I could've sworn there were four,"

Velivolus' eyes widened once she realized what he had said and what he meant. "What'd you do to Avis?"

"I didn't kill him if _that's_ what's bugging you," Grandis said in a mocking tone, getting up and starting to languidly walk along the length of the ledge. "I didn't do anything. I just didn't think it'd be a good idea to put him in the same room as you," He then turned to his left and yelled, "Ignis! Candor! Get your two _idiot_ Colossi out of here!"

Two relatively small teenage boys, one with dark hair and one with fair hair, appeared from the shadows on each side of Grandis to stand next to him. As they did, the creatures circling them backed off into the shadows respectfully. "I _should_ introduce you to my team, shouldn't I? It'd only be right. Ignis and Candor," He pointed to the dark-haired one first and then the fair-haired one. "Permagnis," He gestured to a corner of the room, where a black-haired girl waved back. "Magnus and Veritas," He nodded to two others: a girl with a nervous look on her face and a boy with a long thin sword clutched in his hands. "Umbra,"

_Umbra?_ Recanto thought confused. Hanging near the hole in the ceiling was the massive lizard they had fought before and the shadow boy. "Of course, my followers are loyal, even in death," Grandis commented at their confused looks. "And, last but definitely not least,"

He paused for effect, and glanced around the room carefully. "Bellator," he said with finality. A thin, horse-like boy with brown hair stood near the sconce at the other end of the room, an uncertain expression on his face. "He was the one who dragged Avis back to me,"

"Bellator!" a voice yelled down. The three thoroughly confused Tamers looked up at the ceiling, where Avis was (oddly enough) suspended from the ceiling. It would've been quite funny where it not for three things: this was a life and death situation, the rope looked unaccustomed for holding Avis' weight up, and he was suspended from his ankles.

The Warrior Horse Tamer shied away to the shadows, barely visible as Avis started yelling down curses in _his_ native language. "So, this is my team. I'd say we're pretty effective. We managed to get four tamers in one shot, so there's proof right there,"

"Can we _really_ put them through Hell?" Ignis said, grinning even more sadistically (if that was possible) than Grandis.

"Nah. I'm gonna be a nice person and let 'em go," Grandis said.

Ignis' expression turned quizzical. "What?" he spat. "Let them _go_? Sir…"

"Do not question my motives," Grandis growled back with a snarl resembling a wolf. "Just get them up the wall and out into the desert. From there, they can get their colossi and we can go on with our busy little lives,"

"You're going to do something, aren't you?" Velivolus said suspiciously.

Grandis cocked an eyebrow at her. "Don't deny me," Velivolus growled. "I know it,"

The Sixteenth Tamer leapt off of the ledge and slowly approached Velivolus. He wasn't afraid of her now, Recanto guessed, if she didn't have her knife. He wasn't afraid of her unless she had a weapon. That's how he worked, he guessed. If he had all the power and knives he wanted and/or needed, he considered himself a god. If it was the other way, he might run.

Might.

Grandis stood in front of the Thirteenth Tamer, a very pleased grin on his face. Recanto didn't like that grin. Not at all. Grandis placed a hand on her chin, tilting her head up towards the light. She struggled away, but stopped as soon as Grandis placed his other hand on her throat, putting some pressure on it as he did. He proceeded to examine her with a slow, obviously practiced eye, Velivolus with a disgusted expression on her face all the while. "No, baby, now. Don't deny _me_," He took both hands off her and turned away. He paused in walking and turned to face her once more. "And don't be afraid,"

"Well?" Grandis asked. "Free them,"

Suddenly, Recanto felt his body being yanked up towards the ceiling and thrown into the air. The massive tiger known as Celosia was just underneath him. From that height, those back plates and claws looked pretty dang painful. Celosia reared up as Recanto started falling down towards his claws. He abruptly stopped falling as the tiger caught him on his back in an almost gentle sort of way before crashing down onto all fours.

At that, Celosia leapt towards the other side of the room, clambered up the ridged sides before dispensing him at the top. The tiger repeated the process with Velivolus and Harena, leaving all three of them to go. They could see Grandis waving with the blood red bracelet arm all the way at the bottom. Without a second thought, they left the coliseum.

* * *

"Sir?"

"Yes?" Grandis turned to face Candor.

"What do we do with Avis?"

"Set him free as well,"

"And… what about the ones you let go? Won't they tell everyone else?"

Grandis smiled. "That's if we don't kill them first,"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_**Characters So Far**_

Quadratus (bull): Magnus (female)

Gaius (knight): Veritas (male)

Phaedra (horse): Bellator (male)

Avion (bird): Avis (male)

Hydrus (eel): Marinus (male)

Kuromori (lizard): Umbra (male)

Dirge (sand snake): Harena (male)

Phalanx (dragon): Velivolus (female)

Cenobia (lion): Candor (male)

Malus (sorcerer): Grandis (male)

Pelagia (island): Permagnis (female)

Basaran (tortoise): Recanto (male)

Yup. That, my friends, was chapter seven. I hope you enjoyed it. Slightly shorter than the last, but it gets the point across, doesn't it? Nothin' much to really say here. (Now watch. I'm gonna end up typing five pages of Author's Notes… Watch.)

Review time!

**Specter Von Baren:** I liked the knight as well; once I figured out I needed to shatter his armor. The lizard was also pretty cool as well, and I loved battling the tortoise. I haven't defeated the island one yet. I got up to him and having _so_ much problems defeating him. Read: I get very lazy in the middle of the battle and shut the console off… I know, I'm insane… XD

**Mr. Grae:** Thanks for the compliment! I hoped I'd play with your heads for a while when you tried to figure out the guy in the mask's identity. Who'd you think it was, just out of curiosity? Two questions on the Stephen King thing. Well, alright. A question and a statement. First things first: I never thought of it that way. And that is quite true. I mean, unless you stop in the middle of the book (which I can never seem to do when sampling King's stuff), you always have a chapter/page to read in like two seconds. So I never thought of it like that. And about your pen name. Did you get 'Mr. Grae' from the novel _Dreamcatcher_? My dad said something about a character being named Mr. Gray, but he forgot what book it was, so it might be said book.

**jjaxis:** Kuromori rocks. Definitely. He scared the crap out of me the first time I actually _saw_ the thing, but other than that, he earned my respect. Plus, that whole 'breathing-poisonous-gas' attack is just neat. Nice reference to dragons, methinks… Plus, I learned a _lot_ about target practice from him. Yeah. Two hours worth… XD

Just one other thing. Did anyone else catch the song reference in this chapter? I _did_ put one in there… So, have fun trying to guess what it is. I'll reveal it in the next chapter… I like putting in various references… Hee… 'Tis fun!

Alright, people. This wraps it up… for _this_ chapter at least! Keep watchin' this story, and keep watchin' my profile. I write one-shots as well, and I've just started an FMA crackfic known as _Tabula Rasa_. Yuppers. That's pretty much it. So, I'll see you in the eighth chapter. (I didn't think I'd get _this_ far along in the story; I really didn't. Once again, thanks to the reviewers!) PS, the title means 'be afraid'. Another reference to a song…


End file.
